Monday, June 11, 2012

What motivates smart people in rich countries? Here is where I start to conjecture, but my bet is: Human relationships. Friends and family. We work hard for other people. When we're young, we work because our parents want us to work. When we leave the nest, however, we need to find other relationships to motivate us. I can't tell you the number of people I've seen who excelled in high school under the watchful gaze of a Tiger Mom, only to lose much of their motivation once Mom was no longer looking over their shoulder (I can, however, tell you the name of one such person: Noah Smith).

To replace Mom, young adults need to form new relationships. Close friends. Romantic partners, and eventually a spouse (which in turn leads to kids, another motivator). But it is very difficult to form these relationships fast (which you need to do in order to start a career fast) without sacrificing quality; if you're just randomly searching, it takes a long time to find friends and a lover who really click with you, especially if you're a smart person who clicks best with other smart people.

This is where college comes in. College is an intense incubator where smart people meet other smart people.

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